1995 Miata M Edition, this should be fun!

So starts the saga of the forlorn 1995 Miata M that has come into my life.  Interior is nice.  Paint is not.  Clear coat peeling or missing from every horizontal surface.  Which is a shame with the car being Merlot Mica.  The car runs pretty well, but there is a persistent stale fuel smell.  The check engine light comes and goes.  But since my daily driver is a VW I am used to that.  

1) Replace wipers.  I also need to repaint the wiper arms, but not today.

2) The car needs a good washing.  I think there is an infestation growing on the body.  (Ugh)

3) Find the cause of the fuel smell.  Fuel vapor=bad.

4) Change all the fluids, including the brake fluid and clutch fluid.  (I assume this car has a juice clutch)

5) Lube the slow windows.  Anything recommended for this?

6) Fix high mounted stop light.

7) Do a major service to make up for services that have not been done.

And drive!  One of the better views of the car.

Looks good! Well, the part I can see in the picture does anyways. Cosmetics are irrelevant, any Miata that moves is a good Miata.

Noddaz said:

5) Lube the slow windows.  Anything recommended for this?

On my Rx7 I recently used heavy moly grease. The sort of stuff used for wheel-bearings. If the Miata window track design is similar, the grease goes on the side of the track that faces the exterior of the car. You have to sort of knead it into this little channel and then run the window up and down to spread it around. In my case it was a night-and-day difference.

Mazda also didn't use relays on Rx7 door windows. If Miatas are a similar case, adding relays is an hour's work and absolutely worth it.

Supposedly shin-etsu is good for the vertical rubber seal/channel the window interfaces with. Also the window mechanisms typically have dried out lube and/or broken/mangled window guides. The window guides are cheap and easy to replace but you have to deal with the sticky black goo they used to seal the door cavity weather plastic. Also the windows are notoriously slow because the power goes directly through the up/down switch and not a relay. 

Are my eyes deceiving me? Is it a forbidden automatic in a M?? Never knew that was even a possibility!

Looks like an aftermarket shift knob to me, not the original Nardi.

Nice score! I'm doing a similar thing with my M. Treating it as a future collectible, and just trying to preserve it. It is a wonderful car stock, and I don't think it needs modification.

Nothing ground breaking here, but here's the story.     Link

Pic, just for the heck of it.

+1 on Shin etsu (sp?) lube, and replacing window bushings. The stiffer door bushing thingies are a cheap, worthwile upgrade, too.

In reply to MyMiatas :

It's a manual.  And it is an aftermarket knob.  Very low on the priority list.

In reply to David_H

Supposedly shin-etsu is good for the vertical rubber seal/channel the window interfaces with.

I have that .  I will give it a whirl.

And does anyone have a link for the window relay upgrade?

Relays are easy to figure out. Or just pull the switch and clean the contacts. 

Yes, you could get automatic M editions of memory serves. The percentage of auto Miatas was not high in those days. It's about 1/3 now. 

1st fix, wipers that fit the car.

2nd fix, repair the high mounted stop lamp wiring where the trunk hinge cut the wire.  At this point I just used some butt connectors and some wire to make the fix.  I really need to go back and solder the joints, heat shrink to cover and rewrap the wires.  And I did leave extra wire to do so.

And I have been wondering why the rear window sags so much.  And looking at the inside of the roof I had an epiphany.  (No, it didn't hurt.)  There are two nylon web straps that go from the rain tray area, wrap around one of the roof ribs and then snap in place around the next roof rib towards the front of the car.  I am pretty sure these two straps are supposed to be  next to the rear window on the right and left of the rear window to support the roof in that area.  The ones on my car don't run there, the straps are more outboard of the window.

RE: paint issue

Do these cars have clearcoat to begin with?  I thought all NA's had single stage paint.

I don't know about the other ones, but this had clear coat.   I guess it still has clear coat where it hasn't peeled off.

In reply to wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) :

Nice!

tyronejk said:

RE: paint issue

Do these cars have clearcoat to begin with?  I thought all NA's had single stage paint.

Most do. The mica colors (basically, the M editions) have clear. 

Don't solder that trunk wire. Crimp is the right choice, especially when there's flexing involved. Mazda didn't solder any joints in the wiring harness. 

The merlot mica special edition was really the first attainable car that I truly lusted after. The ad campaign was really memorable.

Any plans to take it racing?

Somewhat related: If anyone is shopping for an M Edition, there's a Marina Green Mica one up for auction over in Cars & Bids. 

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3Bz552mA/1997-mazda-mx-5-miata-m-edition

Keith Tanner said:

Don't solder that trunk wire. Crimp is the right choice, especially when there's flexing involved. Mazda didn't solder any joints in the wiring harness. 

Ok, the crimp stays.  Tell me not to work and I won't.

And here is a strange question.  Do shorter inline crimp connectors exist?  

In reply to Noddaz :

Toward the bottom of page 4 on this thread shows the cause and solution to the fuel smell in my 2000 Miata. If I recall correctly, I had to do the same thing in my 95 M-Edition too, although the part number on the hose is probably different. 

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/miata-wintercrosser/97775/page4/

In reply to Noddaz :

I've got some M stuff around I think including the shift knob.  Not the best condition but let me know if you're interested.

Noddaz said:

Keith Tanner said:

Don't solder that trunk wire. Crimp is the right choice, especially when there's flexing involved. Mazda didn't solder any joints in the wiring harness. 

Ok, the crimp stays.  Tell me not to work and I won't.

And here is a strange question.  Do shorter inline crimp connectors exist?  

Depends on where we're starting :) You can get bare ones that are pretty short, then do your own heat shrink. I've started using them, they're a little more work but they're very secure because they crimp on to both the wire and the insulation. 

 

Stampie said:

In reply to Noddaz :

I've got some M stuff around I think including the shift knob.  Not the best condition but let me know if you're interested.

I will think about that.  Thank you.

I watched a tutorial the other day where someone recovered their shift knob with new leather.  It was pretty impressive when done.

After I read the post and I saw this picture I understood.  I will have to look!  Thank you!  And if this is it that would explain the smell of old gas.

In reply to Noddaz :

I guess I should have said for the cost of shipping ...

In reply to Stampie :

I will get back to you on that.

A little while ago I received a call from American collectors insurance that they would not cover the car at a value of $5000 because of the paint.   I am not angry, I actually agree the car is not worth $5K with paint like that.  So on goes the search for car insurance.

Update!  This is so fun!

I contacted Hagerty online for Miata insurance and filled out the online forms.  I filled in all the little spaces, I dotted the Ts and crossed the Is like I was supposed to.  At one point the online application stated that Hagertys would need pictures of the car.  I filled out more forms, whipped out the credit card and *poof*.  I have car insurance.  The website never prompted me to send pictures.  Cue ominous music.

Oh yeah.  Now to do battle with the state of Maryland and get tags.  Oh Wife!!!   Could you do me  a favor?

Noddaz said:

After I read the post and I saw this picture I understood.  I will have to look!  Thank you!  And if this is it that would explain the smell of old gas.

Did you read further down that page, or did you stop at the post with that photo? Just tightening the clamp didn't work. I had to clean up the metal pipes and change the hose. There are more details in a later post on the same page.

In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :

Thank you sir, I did read that.  I may tackle that this weekend.  I am glad I did not fill up the car last time out.